The Diner
|season = 3 |number = 26 |overall = 93 |airdate = April 26, 1954 |production = 3-25 / 093 |imdb = tt0609352 |writer = Bob Carroll Jr. Madelyn Pugh Jess Oppenheimer |director = William Asher |previous = "Lucy's Club Dance" |next = "The Black Wig" |image = |imagewidth = 300px}} http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/KnowhowMertzes.jpg http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/DividedDiner.jpg The Diner was the 93rd episode of I Love Lucy, also the 25th episode of Season 3 of the series. The episode, was directed by William Asher, originally aired on CBS-TV on April 26, 1954. Synopsis Ricky decides to quit show business, and the Ricardos and the Mertzes decide to open up a diner. The Mertzes struggle with all the difficult cooking, while Ricky only has to be the greeter. Because of a road detour, there are few customers. Plot summary Ricky is fed up with working in show business. He wants to retire from the entertainment world and open up his own business. Fred likes the sound of the idea, too, so the guys decide to buy a local diner together. Ricky's dream is for a diner that sells traditional Cuban food, so rather than argue over whether the diner should be called "Ricky's Place" or "Fred's Place," the gang settles on the name "A Little Bit of Cuba." Because Fred and Ethel have the diner "knowhow" and Ricky's got the "name" that brings in lots of customers from the club, unequal division of the labor soon follows. Fred and Ethel are stuck behind the counter "doing all the work," and Lucy and Ricky are up front "having all the fun." When Ricky treats Fred like a mere servant by snapping his fingers and calling out, "More butter here!" Fred and Ethel have simply had enough. They toss their aprons at Lucy and Ricky and storm out. Without the Mertzes' "knowhow," the good business that the diner once had is now gone. Ricky is confusing Lucy with incorrect diner speak, and Lucy's messing up every order she gets. The Mertzes triumphantly return to find the place completely empty. Lucy and Ricky won't agree to share the work, so they decide instead to split the diner down the middle and see which couple gets the most business. Ricky and Lucy have the left side, which remains named "A Little Bit of Cuba." Fred and Ethel get the right side, which they sarcastically name "A Big Hunk of America." The first customer to come in the divided diner is a drunk bum. The Ricardos and the Mertzes fight over the bum, continually lowering their hamburger prices to entice the bum. The feud is interrupted when a man delivers a fresh batch of cream pies. Lucy acts as though she's going to throw one of the pies at Ethel, but she decides to put the pie down. Starring *Lucille Ball ... as Lucy Ricardo *Desi Arnaz ... as Ricky Ricardo *Vivian Vance ... as Ethel Mertz *William Frawley ... as Fred Mertz Guest starring *Joseph and Michael Mayer ... as Little Ricky *James Burke ... as Mr. Watson *Eve McVeagh ... as Roberta *Don Garner ... as Delivery Boy *Joe Miller ... as Patron *Fred Sherman ... as Drunk Category:Season 3 Episodes Category:Episodes